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Willie Murphy Crawford
Los Angeles Dodgers
Outfield
Born: September 7, 1946, Los Angeles, CA
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1964-1975; St. Louis Cardinals 1976; Houston Astros 1977; Oakland Athletics 1977
Died: August 27, 2004, Los Angeles, CA (age 57)
John Charles Werhas
Los Angeles Dodgers
Third Base
Born: February 7, 1938, Highland Park, MI
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1964-1965, 1967; California Angels 1967
Appearing in 12 seasons for the Dodgers, Willie Crawford was a regular presence in their line-up between 1969 and 1975. Signed as a bonus baby, Crawford didn't receive much playing time with the Dodgers between 1964 and 1967, although he was added to the team's World Series roster in 1965. Crawford went 1 for 2 as a pinch-hitter in the World Series as an 18-year-old, with the Dodgers prevailing over the Twins in seven games. He was the team's regular left fielder in 1969, and then primarily a back-up for the next three seasons. Crawford enjoyed his best seasons in 1973 and 1974, now playing right field, as he batted .295 while driving in at least 60 runs in each season. He batted .333 (2 for 6) in the 1974 World Series but the Dodgers fell to the Athletics in five games.
Johnny Werhas was a star baseball and basketball player at the University of Southern California, and he turned down a contract offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to sign with the Dodgers instead. Named the team's starting third baseman to start the 1964 season, Werhas endured a lengthy slump landing him back in the minor leagues. He'd appear in just 11 more games for the Dodgers between 1965 and 1967. Traded to the Angels in May 1967, Werhas would appear in 49 games for the club, but batted just .160 (12 for 75). Between 1968 and 1973, he played in the Phillies, Angels and Padres organizations and spent the 1971 season playing for the Taiyo Whales in Japan. In 89 big league games, Werhas batted .173 with a pair of home runs.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #445
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
This is Crawford's rookie card and he'd wait until 1968 before appearing in another Topps set. The back of the card mentions his $100,000 signing bonus, which he received upon signing with the Dodgers two days after graduating from high school. Werhas appeared on a Rookie Stars card in 1964 along with Wes Parker (#344), and surprisingly he'd receive a card in the 1967 Topps set as well.
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Crawford
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #453
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1965, 1968-1978
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 Topps #507
42 - Crawford non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/22.
Sources - Crawford:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Werhas
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #456
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1964-1965, 1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #514
6 - Werhas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/22.
Sources - Werhas:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #452 Gary Geiger - Boston Red Sox
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #445
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Rookie Stars card which was a little over $7 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
This is Crawford's rookie card and he'd wait until 1968 before appearing in another Topps set. The back of the card mentions his $100,000 signing bonus, which he received upon signing with the Dodgers two days after graduating from high school. Werhas appeared on a Rookie Stars card in 1964 along with Wes Parker (#344), and surprisingly he'd receive a card in the 1967 Topps set as well.
1965 Season - Crawford
Crawford appeared in 52 games for the Dodgers, primarily as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter. He made only three starts - two in right field and one in center field on the final day of the regular season. Crawford batted .148 (4 for 27) with a pair of stolen bases. In the World Series, he pinch-hit for reliever Howie Reed (#544) in the fifth inning of Game 1, singling off Twins' pitcher Mudcat Grant (#432). In Game 6, he pinch-hit for Dodgers' starting pitcher Claude Osteen (#570), and this time Grant struck him out.
Crawford appeared in 52 games for the Dodgers, primarily as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter. He made only three starts - two in right field and one in center field on the final day of the regular season. Crawford batted .148 (4 for 27) with a pair of stolen bases. In the World Series, he pinch-hit for reliever Howie Reed (#544) in the fifth inning of Game 1, singling off Twins' pitcher Mudcat Grant (#432). In Game 6, he pinch-hit for Dodgers' starting pitcher Claude Osteen (#570), and this time Grant struck him out.
1965 Season - Werhas
Werhas spent the entire season playing for the Triple-A Spokane Indians as their regular third baseman. For the Indians, he batted .282 in 147 games while leading the team in both home runs (20) and RBIs (75). The Dodgers called him up when rosters expanded in September, and he appeared in only four games, going hitless in four plate appearances.
Phillies Connection - Werhas
Werhas spent the 1968 season with the San Diego Padres, then the top farm team of the Phillies. As their regular third baseman, he played in 122 games and batted .286 with eight home runs and 65 RBIs. He'd return to the Phillies organization in 1973, playing in 56 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by Jim Bunning (#20).
Werhas spent the entire season playing for the Triple-A Spokane Indians as their regular third baseman. For the Indians, he batted .282 in 147 games while leading the team in both home runs (20) and RBIs (75). The Dodgers called him up when rosters expanded in September, and he appeared in only four games, going hitless in four plate appearances.
Phillies Connection - Werhas
Werhas spent the 1968 season with the San Diego Padres, then the top farm team of the Phillies. As their regular third baseman, he played in 122 games and batted .286 with eight home runs and 65 RBIs. He'd return to the Phillies organization in 1973, playing in 56 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by Jim Bunning (#20).
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Crawford
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #453
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1965, 1968-1978
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 Topps #507
42 - Crawford non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/22.
Sources - Crawford:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Werhas
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #456
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1964-1965, 1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #514
6 - Werhas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/22.
Sources - Werhas:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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Next Card: #454 Ed Rakow - Detroit Tigers
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